"Bridgerton," Chris Van Dusen’s Regency-era romance series based on the novels by Julia Quinn, returns to Netflix March 25 with a sophomore season that all but drives its predecessor from memory.
Bridgerton isn’t as progressive on race as it seems, and there s a clear reason why David Oliver, USA TODAY
Netflix’s Bridgerton gives viewers a different view of 1800s England – one with Black people in power.
Executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ first series for Netflix quickly resonated with subscribers after premiering on Christmas Day, so much so that it earned a Season 2 renewal on Thursday.
But viewers were also quick to address the issue of colorism – discrimination against people with darker skin tones.
Lighter-skinned Black characters on the show mostly hold positions of nobility and darker-skinned Black characters are relegated to the sidelines and appear villainous or violent.
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton (2021) | Netflix
Bridgerton, Netflix’s hit of the season, which is adapted from the historical fantasy novels of Julia Quinn, plays fast and loose with history. It opens in 1813, the year in which Jane Austen’s
Bridgerton is far from an accurate portrayal of the historical Regency period in which it is set – named for the transfer of power from the incapacitated King George III to his son George IV in 1811 until the king’s death in 1820. However, it does get some things right.
In the show, London’s social set are abuzz with gossip provided by the anonymous column of Lady Whistledown. The columnist’s salacious writing is in step with the time: gossip newspapers circulated in Regency London, detailing the exploits and scandals of the “Bon Ton”, or fashionable elite, during “the season”.
Bridgerton, Netflix’s hit of the season, which is adapted from the historical fantasy novels of Julia Quinn, plays fast and loose with history. It opens in 1813, the year in which Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was published, Napoleonic war raged in Europe and London’s Westminster Bridge was illuminated by the world’s first public gas company.
Bridgerton is far from an accurate portrayal of the historical Regency period in which it is set – named for the transfer of power from the incapacitated King George III to his son George IV in 1811 until the king’s death in 1820. However, it does get some things right.